Smothered Chicken In Onion Gravy

 

 If this isn’t country cooking, I don’t know what is. Having a Mom born in Kentucky and raised in Tennessee, I grew up on recipes like this. Smothered Chicken is one of those recipes when you really need comfort food.  Tender, juicy fried chicken shallow braised in a creamy onion gravy all made on the stovetop. It has comfort food written all over it.

Smothered Chicken In Onion Gravy

2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, skin on

½ cup all-Purpose flour for dredging

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Pepper

Onion Gravy

1 large onion, sliced

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Pepper

1 cup chicken broth, more or less if needed

1 cup half and half or heavy cream

Melt 3 tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. 

Mix together the ½ cup of flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or dish.

Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and dredge the chicken on each side into the seasoned flour until coated. Shake off any excess flour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the butter and oil are melted, add the flour coated chicken and fry for 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.

Remove the chicken to paper towel lined bowl or plate and set aside. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add your onions to the same skillet and sauté over medium heat for 20 minutes or until onions are tender and caramelized.  Remove cooked onions from skillet to a plate and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next make your gravy.

Add the 4 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet and allow it to melt. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of flour to the pan and whisk until the butter and flour are well combined. Be sure and stir up all the browned bits in the skillet. Allow mixture to cook for 2-3 minutes until flour taste has cooked off. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and milk until gravy is smooth.  Add the cooked onions to the gravy including any leftover juices from the plate. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return the cooked chicken back to the pan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender.  Serve over mashed potatoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

Creamy Beef and Noodles

 Creamy Beef and Noodles 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was actually chilly this morning.  Chilly enough to make me think comfort food.  And when I think comfort food, I think creamy and delicious.  So, I decided to make one of my favorites…. Nothing better than noodles in a cream sauce with melt in your mouth tender bites of slow cooked beef.  YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creamy Beef and Noodles

2 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil + 2 tablespoons butter for frying
4 tablespoons of flour
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 cups half and half (half milk/half cream) 
1 (16 oz) package egg noodles

Melt butter in a large heavy skillet and then add olive oil. Over medium heat, saute onions and garlic until tender. Add beef cubes and saute until brown on all sides.  Remove beef cubes from skillet to crockpot and set pan aside. Do not rinse pan.  You will be using it again.

Add mixture to crock pot along with about 1 cup of beef broth and simmer on low for about 4 hours or until beef is super tender.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When beef cubes are ready and fork tender, remove from crockpot and transfer to a bowl and set aside.  

 In the original skillet, add 4 tablespoons of butter and 4 tablespoons of flour and whisk quickly to blend.  Make sure you stir up any bits of onion or garlic from the bottom. Cook, for about 1-2 minutes until lightly browned, stirring the entire time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whisk in half and half and continue whisking until sauce begins to thicken. Turn off heat and salt and pepper to taste. I like a lot of pepper in mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Transfer the beef cubes to the sauce and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cover for another 10 minutes while noodles cook.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boil egg noodles as directed on package. Drain well and pour into skillet with beef. Stir well to coat noodles and beef with sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread.  YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Photograph is copyrighted and the property of ©Welcome Home.

Classic Stuffing in a Bundt Pan

Who says you can’t be creative with stuffing?  After all, it’s one of the favorites on the Thanksgiving table!  Why should it take a backseat to the turkey when it comes to presentation!

Classic Stuffing in a Bundt Pan

1 lb pork sausage

2 tablespoons butter

3 stalks celery (chopped)

1 apple, diced

1 cup diced onion

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh sage (chopped)

1 (10 oz) bag Pepperidge Farm stuffing bread cubes

2 eggs (whisk until smooth)

2 cups chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the inside of a bundt pan with butter and then follow up with a light spray of non-stick cooking spray.

 

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat until its no longer pink. Crumble as you fry it. Remove from skillet and transfer to a bowl and set aside. Place the skillet back on the stove and add the butter. Sauté celery and onion until tender.  Add in salt, pepper, sage and crushed garlic. Cook for about 2 more minutes.

 

Add the bag of bread cubes to a large bowl.  Next, add the sausage, onion and celery mixture and toss lightly. Add in chicken broth and two eggs and stir until everything is combined. 

 

Press the mixture into your prepared bundt pan and press down to fill to top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Cover top with foil if it starts to get too brown.  Remove from oven and invert over a dinner plate.  Slice or spoon out and enjoy!

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

 

JUST CHICKEN (or Turkey) Pie

 

So, I’m about to share my Chicken Pie with you.  Not Chicken Pot Pie.  Just chicken pie.  Any carrots?  Nope.  Any celery?  Nope.  Any vegetables at all?  No, it not like that.  It’s a simple Chicken Pie without all the veggies.  Just chicken.  Loads of chicken and a thick, rich, creamy sauce you may want to drink from a straw!  And a pie crust so buttery that it melts in your mouth.  A double layer of pie crust. OMG this is so good.

 

Just Chicken Pie

1 rotisserie chicken Or leftover turkey

1 package (2) refrigerated pie dough

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoons pepper

1 cup chicken broth or stock

1 cup half and half or whole milk

1 beaten egg

 

You will want to use mostly chicken breast for this recipe, although you can throw in some dark meat if you want.  No need to worry about the chicken being dry, this is the moistest chicken you’ll ever eat.

 

 

 

 

 

Melt the butter in a large skillet and sprinkle in the flour. Stir and allow to cook for at least 3 minutes while stirring. Keep the heat at medium high and continue to stir so the mixture doesn’t get too brown.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in the chicken stock and begin to whisk to incorporate the butter and flour mixture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in the whole milk or half and half and continue to whisk until everything is completely combined.  Add salt and pepper and turn heat to low simmer just to keep warm.  I like a lot of pepper but you can add to taste. Stir occasionally as you prepare the rest of the dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tear the chicken breast into pieces and add to the sauce.  I like bigger size pieces instead of bite sized and I prefer not to shred the chicken or it gets stringy.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir the chicken in the sauce until well coated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spray the bottom of your baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. You can use a pie pan or a 9 x 9 baking dish. Pour half the chicken mixture into the baking dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unroll one of the pie crusts and lay flat.  Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into strips. You can make them as wide or narrow as you want. This will be an internal crust so no need to be perfect.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lay the strips across the pie filling and dot the dough with butter.  Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, pour the remaining chicken mixture over the baked pie strips and smooth out so that is fairly flat on top.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the other pie crust and cut it into strips as you did before.  You will need all the pie crust as you are going to do a lattice top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lay the strips across the pie filling allowing it to hang over the edge.  Once the first strips are laid down, fold back every other strip.  Now lay the remaining pie strips down pulling the strips back on top of the filling.  You will get a basket design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trim or tuck the edges all around the pie pan and pinch so that they stay in place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brush the entire pie with beaten egg and place on a baking sheet to catch any spills while baking.  Bake at 400 degrees for another 30 minutes or until pie crust is crisp and golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes so that it will set and be easy to slice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES

Use white or dark meat for this recipe, but most prefer the white meat.  

To reheat, just place foil wrapped pie in the oven at 350 for 30-45 minutes until heated through.

This pie could just as easily be a Turkey Pie if that is what you have left over after Thanksgiving

The egg wash gives the top of the chicken pie crust that beautiful golden shiny look. It’s not completely essential to the recipe, but it sure will make your pie look irresistible!  You could also brush with melted butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's important to allow this pie to cool for at least 10-15 minutes after you remove it from the oven, so everything has a chance to set nicely. 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.